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Under 14 Boys vs West Midlands
Staffordshire Under 14 Boys 2 - 1 West Midlands Under 14 Boys
On Monday evening Staffordshire's Under 14 Boys travelled to West Midlands for their first competitive fixture of the season at Castle Vale Stadium. Staffordshire started on the front foot, pressing the West Midlands high in their own half as they struggled to deal with the intensity and physicality of Charlie Corrigan, Max Bailey and Jacob Shelley. Staffs pressure resulted in a corner after 15 minutes, and a smart header back across goal from Jude Wooton led to a goal mouth scramble before defender Lloyd Oebel-Marsh cooly slotted home to score his second goal in two games. In a dominant first half performance only missing a healthier lead, Sam Barratt-Meldrum and Harrison Lewis continued to stretch West Midlands down the left hand side, and Olly Stone came close to doubling the lead after another dazzling run in behind.
After half-time West Midlands changed their shape which caused some issues for Staffordshire, and this time it was West Midlands who made the most out of a scrappy corner to equalise and make it 1-1 with about 25 minutes remaining. However, the immediate introduction of Leo Williams saw Staffordshire retake the lead; Leo won the ball, skipped past his man and unleashed an absolute rocket into the top corner from 25 yards out to make it 2-1. Whilst Staffordshire continued to look for a third goal that would finish the game, Addison Tranter was on hand to marshall the defence, Filip Ciurzak made a crucial save, and James Wesley worked tirelessly to extinguish any West Midlands progress. The game finished 2-1, handing Staffordshire their first win of the season.
A huge thanks goes to our friends at West Midlands' CSFA for their kind welcome and hospitality, and to the parents/guardians of the players for their fantastic support.